Project News

MA-SHEP organised a 5-day technical training ToT in Blantyre from 14th to 18th and 21st to 25th June 2021, for 83 district and frontline extension staff. The training consisted of lectures on agricultural techniques and cultivation of horticultural crops selected by the target farmer groups through market survey, including three days of practical exercises. The practical exercises included demonstrations of key farming techniques at each step of the process, such as bokashi, liquid manure, Bio-char (biomass charcoal), raising seedling, transplanting, fertiliser application, field management and integrated pest management.

At the end of the training, the extension staff developed an action plan to disseminate the farming techniques they had learnt to the responsible farmer groups. Based on the action plan, the extension staff will visit the farmer groups and share their farming techniques. It is hoped that the target farmer groups will now be able to grow, harvest and sell the horticultural products so as to satisfy the targeted market needs they have identified through market survey.

As a precautionary measure against COVID-19 infection, the training was conducted in two venues at the same time, connected by an online Zoom Meeting. Despite some network problems, the training was a great success, with a lively exchange of ideas and discussions between the two venues throughout the training period. In the practical exercise in the field, rotation style was applied by spiting to 4 small groups. One participant commented that "The training has really improved my capacity. I have never attended such a kind of training like this since I joined the Ministry of Agriculture 10 years ago." This has motivated our project team. We are now ready to start for the fourth batch target areas!

A lecture connected online between two venues

Demonstration of protective clothing made from locally available materials

Demonstration of Biochar Production from maize stovers and cobs